All Maizie's thoughts came back to Dad in the end. Even the weather. If she was hot, well, Dad felt worse. He was hot, and injured, and bit. It had been a long day and Maizie was struggling real hard to keep a good attitude, but she could feel her face getting that sullen look, like when Dad -- shit. There he was again.
It was a relief when an unfamiliar voice greeted her and Maizie looked up with a slow blink, like someone waking from a deep sleep. She knew that women lived in the Dog Park, both because Dad had mentioned it and because she'd talked to one on the freenet, but this was the first Maizie had met face-to-face. Teagan had a friendly look about her, though, so after a moment Maizie gave her a half-smile, the most she could muster.
"Thank you." She reached for the water bottle, surprised by how thirsty she'd become without realizing it. "Yup, that's me. It's nice to meet you, Teagan."
With only the briefest of glances over at Savannah and Aunt Day, Maizie took a sip of the water. Curious despite herself, she asked, "Are you a Hellhound too? I mean one of the ones with the bikes."